In fitness sport, performance sport and rehabilitation it is particularly important that the physical training is performed in the correct exercise range for the patient and the sportsperson. In endurance sports, such as, for example, jogging or cycling, the pulse rate is frequently used for the purpose of improving the cardiological functions. In order to build up muscles after injuries or to support the spinal column in the case of back problems, training is generally carried out using apparatuses which counter the muscles with a resistance. In this regard reference is made to the literature “Einsatz von Kraftausdauertraining und Muskelaufbautraining in der kardiologischen Rehabilitation” (“Use of strength endurance training and muscle development training in cardiological rehabilitation”) by B. Bjarnason-Wehrens, Zeitschrift für Kardiologie (“Journal of Cardiology”), Vol. 93, Issue 5, pages 357 to 370, published in 2004. In this, the training equipment is adjusted manually according to a predetermined weight setting before the respective exercise.
In the case of endurance sports the predefined frequency range can be monitored with the aid of a pulse meter. DE 42 41 336 A1 discloses a pulse meter of this kind (heartbeat rate measuring device) in which a signal transducer worn in the breast area of the sportsperson sends the determined heart rate to a display device which is located on a type of wristwatch on the sportsperson's wrist.
Various apparatuses for improving physical endurance are disclosed in DE 298 24 810 U1, DE 34 25 200 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,339. Such apparatuses are generally termed training, sports or therapy devices, in which the human body performs work, chiefly by arm and/or leg movements under an opposing resistance. Before the start of the training, a training schedule for these apparatuses is usually prepared by the patient him-/herself or by a trainer, according to the personal data such as age, weight and physical fitness.
Analogously to the endurance training devices, in the case of the strength training devices or muscle development devices, too, several embodiment variants of which are shown by way of example in DE 102 20 011 A1, DE 299 11 237 U1 and DE 202 02 644 U1, the resistance opposing the muscle is adjusted manually, the training mostly being conducted on the basis of a training schedule. In this case the patient or sportsperson is handed the training schedule in paper form and works through the predefined training points, optionally noting the exercises performed on the paper form.